Trinity College cricket team amazing form and fitness

by S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN - Kandy Sports Corr.

CRICKET: For a schoolboy team the young cricketers from Trinity College have displayed amazing form and fitness and above all they performed with success when they played 8 days of continuous cricket last week winning two matches outright and the balance two on first innings.

Playing four matches in 8 days was something that the foul weather which was experienced in the hill capital for six weeks thrust on the Trinity College team like many other schools. They had to play the tournament matches and also the time honoured traditional fixtures and they did them in style.

On Friday and Saturday they played S. Thomas' College at Mount Lavinia and won on first innings. They travelled overnight to Kandy and played Prince of Wales College at the Asgiriya Stadium on Sunday. They won this match too on first innings.

Next they played St. Servatius College, Matara on Tuesday - Wednesday at the Asgiriya Stadium and won by an innings. They finished the match by 10.30 a.m. on the second day.

Their fourth match was on Thursday and Friday against Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda at the Asgiriya Stadium and they won this match too by an innings with the match ending around 10.30 a.m. on the second day. With a day's rest on Saturday they will be playing Maris Stella College at Negombo on Sunday and Monday.

Skipper of the Trinity College team and cricket 'Lion' Akila Jayasundera said that they enjoyed playing four matches in 8 continuous days of cricket. After every day's play we had the workouts and this kept us fit.

The team is coached by former D.S. Senanayake College captain Sampath Perera and assisted by Sujith Hirimathagoda. The Master In Charge Cricket A. Viswanathan said that the boys did not complain and they appeared to enjoy it and above all it was a challenge and they rose up to the occasion.

They train hard and the parents support us. The Principal of the School Brigadiar Udaya Ariyaratne gives the boys all the encouragement and guidance.

The Trinity College cricket team this year has set their sights on a new schools record of outright wins. They have so far won ten matches outright which is a new record for a Kandy School and may be very hard to beat.

They have so far won outright against Vidyartha College, St. Sylvester's College, Kingswood College, Nalanda College, Thurstan College, St. Peter's College, Wesley College, Mahanama College, Dharmasoka College, St. Servatius College.

At one stage they had won seven matches outright in-a-row before fickle weather conditions interfered.

The fitness of the 'Lions' is something which the other schoolboy cricketers should not only admire but also try to emulate as there was no sprains or limping off the field. They played all these matches in red hot Sun, so much for their agility and stamina which speaks for itself.